Once again, we are presenting in an online, readable format for the first time in the history of the web... Frank Luntz "Straight Talk" pp. 131-146 (Environment). So let's take a look at Frank's insight on the linguistic workings of the environment, how the republicans (were) shooting themselves in the feet and how they plan to eliminate their "environmental credibility gap".

When the Frank Luntz Republican Playbook made its way to the blogosphere, there was not even a peep out of the mainstream media. Now that might change, and all thanks to none other than Frank Luntz himself.

In the tenth and final installment of the text version of the Luntz Republican playbook, Frank warns conservatives of the 14 words they should never, ever use -- and then graciously provides 'proper' alternatives.

In the eighth installment of the text version of the Luntz Republican playbook, Frank reveals the truth about those filthy 'Public Protection Attorneys' and explains the delicate nature of convincing the public that big business should run wild and free of the restraints imposed by 'ethics' and 'law'.

In the seventh installment of the text version of the Luntz Republican playbook, Frank invests 31 pages of prime space teaching the proper way to reshape the public's perception of Social Security -- taking particular aim at the elderly’s current propensity to separate that nasty, ever-so-hated 'government' from their beloved Social Security. To gain favor for Republican's Social Security dismantlement, says Luntz, the two must become synonymous.

In the fifth installment of the text version of the Luntz Republican playbook, Frank insists that the budget problems be blamed on 'Wasteful government spending'... no, not the tax cuts to the most wealthy Americans or the quarter billion burned in a war of Bush betrayal. The deficits are all about those ever-so-reviled social programs. This sets the stage for 'Starving the beast'.

In the fourth installment of the text version of the Luntz Republican playbook, Frank reveals his thoughts on 'leveling the international playing field' so our apparently hapless businesses can finally compete in the global marketplace. (Last I knew, our 11 trillion dollar economy dwarfed its next closest international competitor. Maybe Luntz knows something we don't?)

In the third installment of the text version of the Luntz Republican playbook, Frank tells us how to, among other things, frame 'lawsuits' (never mentioned without the word frivolous preceding it) as a primary driver for the horrific loss of jobs over the course of Bush's reign in the White House.

Unfortunately, you currently have to battle debilitating file downloads and software requirements to read it.

Fortunately, we are here to help make your life easier -- to access, to search, to read and to excerpt the GOP’s strategic tome. As a part of our 'Framing Project', over the following days, we are creating a text version of the currently available image document. It will be completely searchable -- and browser accessible in a handful of posts organized and permanently referenced on our main 'Framing Project' page.

Regardless of the framing of a question, give your answer as a statement of your position -- one that you want everyone to hear. Do not play into the questioner's traps by dignifying their heavily spun questions. By directly addressing the question, you will lose and a framing opportunity will be lost.

To effectively frame the issues and the world around us, we must first understand how conservatives and progressives are different. To truly understand these differences, it's important that we digest them on a deeply intuitive, emotional and intellectual level. George Lakoff’s metaphor of the 'Nation as Family' will provide such insight.

Introducing the 'Nurturant Parent' and 'Strict Father': Lakoff simplifies the contrast between progressive and conservative world views by presenting each as a style of parenting. This flows within a much broader metaphor that equates the nation to family -- suggesting that 'progressive thought' is that of the 'Nurturant Parent' while conservative thought is that of the 'Strict Father'. Where each has the following characteristics:

It will bring those unfamiliar with the concept of framing into the loop. It will also serve as a kick-off to the "The Political Strategy Framing Project" -- a project that will, over time, present framing suggestions and tutorials on every issue covered in contemporary politics.

The project will be an ongoing effort to provide a 'handbook' of framing suggestions. It will bring those unfamiliar with the concept of framing into the loop. It will also provide framing rationales and talking points on every issue covered in contemporary politics.

Closeted bigots have become versed in traversing the bumpy bigoted landscape, furthering their ideals while claiming tolerance and proclaiming their love for diversity. Thus, they are often difficult to expose outright. We must therefore watch their "walk" vs. their "talk". Don't expect to find Bush using the "N" word or berating gays openly. What you will easily find, however, is a record of civil rights atrocities and staunch support for admitted bigots. Indeed, until Trent Lott spilled the beans regarding his racist beliefs, accusations of contemporary GOP racism was often poo-pooed as left-wing rhetoric with little evidence (i.e. signed confessions).

Excuse me, but this is personal . . . oops, er, I mean, private.
In an uncertain world, it’s nice to know we can always count on the current Administration to provide some much needed semantic entertainment.

Tracking, documenting, and correcting the continuing assault by The Second Administration requires a healthy village of progressive citizens to speak truth to power. The mounting campaign against raiding Social Security is one indication of the strength of this Village.

Some details are beginning to emerge about the President's plan to destroy Roosevelt's successful Social Security safety net. Early signs of the marketing, the campaign process, and the rhetoric are troubling.

On the left, religion is met with a feeling of nurturance, tolerance and compassion. This is reflected in the lefts immediate reaction to the global disaster -- helping those in need in any way possible -- focusing on those most vulnerable.

On the right, religion is a vehicle of punishment, intolerance, and constant judgment as well as a convenient tool for rationalizing inhumane behavior. This is symbolized by the following conversation (paraphrased to account for imperfect memory):

Finding credible information at the Economic "Summit" is proving to be more illusive than Bernie Kerik's "nanny." I doubt anyone familiar with Bush's record on the economy took the Economic “Summit” this week seriously, but at least the outrageous comments and mock discussions have gotten some fair criticism this time around.

In Republican right circles one name that makes people nervous is Ayn Rand. The Russian-born Rand adopted her own school of free marketing known as objectivism. Allen Greenspan was an early ally in his Chicago days and does not want to talk about whatever influence Rand held over him.

George Lakoff has frequently analyzed the Republican trait of taking a word and twisting its meaning for propaganda effect. This tendency was explored as well by George Orwell in “1984” with the focus on misleading the public on what was really happening in the iron clad dictatorship the British author described with brutal reality.

With Republicans smugly observing that Democrats seem to be in disarray these days, some suspect that we are both living in a parallel universe with two separate realities. Pundits have said that while Democrats were in angst at Disney World, “Glibs” were on the ground in Ohio, and bloggers from all over are still trying to figure out where the front is. For most of us, the sound of marching boots is hard to ignore and our compasses are working. . .Here are 20 preliminary points for drafting the rules of engagement:

There is definitely a need and a place for commentary and editorials but when obvious opinions and partisan politicking replace news and journalism, the "truth" becomes quickly lost in the shuffle. When one looks at the current climate of news and information in the US, specifically the mainstream corporate media, the lines of demarcation are not as clear.

Digby has a post referring to a lengthy article by Christopher Hayes (TNR, subscription required) analyzing the voting behavior of "undecideds." (The piece is also cited over at Pandagon.) The heart of the matter is that undecided voters do not vote based on policies, they do not even vote in any rational manner.

Mike Everett-Lane of the blog Ishbadiddle has developed a George Lakoff-inspired screed entitled "The American Covenant" which is a must read for anyone considering how to reframe the progressive agends in moral terms.

To kick-start the move toward a broadly accepted progressive vision via framing, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of the Nation Magazine, suggests that we begin with a simple glossary of terms as they are interpreted via Republican's 'strict father' cognitive filter:

Bush is in the White House. Republicans made gains in both the House and the Senate…and Bush will no doubt have the opportunity to push the Supreme Court further to the right. Despite all that, I feel more confident in the future prospects of the progressive agenda than perhaps at any other point in my ‘career’ as a political activist. The reason, my friends, is because we are undergoing a paradigm shift.

How could we have been so wrong? Regardless of what happened in Ohio, Kerry still lost the national popular vote by 4 million votes. My best answer points to a matter of nation-widel thought processes and framing. Simply put, many people don’t think like we do. They just don’t. We can present them with the facts, we can give them what we think are the most compelling arguments, and yet they just don’t get it. They simply see the world differently. Their priorities are different. Their fears are different. Their logic is different.

Thus, we invite Mr. Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute to join with us to nurture a culture of disciplined unity in the progressive community -- a launching pad for promoting the progressive frames that will define the American ideological landscape for subsequent generations.